Good humbucker to give a fatter tone to an alder-bodied guitar with maple neck

DropD

New member
I just got a new Yamaha Pacifica guitar, a 120S to be exact (probably the cheapest "good" sounding guitar ever), it has a telecaster like body, but without pickguard and two Yamaha humbuckers. Even though it's a real cheap guitar, I kinda like its sound, but I find it lacks low-end punch. The body is made of alder, which has a bright sound, I was wondering what bridge pickup should I get to give it a fatter sound with nice low-end. I was thinking maybe a Seymour Duncan Custom. I want to keep the warm and bright caracter, but I want to add more low-end.

Thanks
 
Hey Drop I would suggest that you look carefully at the p´up issue on your guitar. I gave my stepson an RGX with cheapo Japanese electronics. The p´ups are DOGS. Sound like crap to put it mildly. But the upside is that the guitars are usually good, a whole lot better than the cheap electronics would lead you to believe. When I switched p´ups in the RGX I used a balanced sounding humbucker (SeyDunc) JB first and then switched to a Custom Custom in the bridge pos. Just be sure that you get Trembucker (SD) or F (Dimarzio) spaced p´ups so that the polepieces line up with the strings. If I remember correctly all of the cheaper Pacifica and RGX series instruments I have worked on have Gibson spacing on their humbuckers which means that the middle strings line up but not the outer ones. That fact alone makes it sound really thin or bottomless.
 
I also have a RGX (621D) which just got a brand new Trembucker. It gives a much more balanced sound, but the the Trembucker scoops out all of the highs, the sound is very powerful but not bright enough. I want a warmer sound on the Pacifica, but I want to raise the low-end because the stock pickups don't have any
 
Drop check this out : SD has not been real good about making their product line very clear. When I said Trembucker, I did not mean the pickup but I meant the spacing designation for Fender from Duncan. Now maybe you see there are 2 different JB´s available: 1 in Gibson polepiece spacing and another in Fender (trembucker from Duncan)polepiece spacing. I am not even sure that this is made clear on their web-site and many dealers have looked at me like I am on dope. So do not buy a Trembucker (I thought they sucked)but maybe a trembucker JB, Custom or Custom Custom, that is what I meant. Get it?
 
Too late, I already bought a trembucker for the RGX and it sucks :(

I don't want to make the same mistake with the Pacifica. The trembucker is NOT distortion friendly (not enough high, it sounds like you backed off the gain), and it doesn't sound good clean either. When playing with drummer and bassist, it can actually help because your sound is less harsh and hissy and doesn't try to compete with the cymbals like the stock pickup did, but when it's time to solo it's quite ugly.

[This message has been edited by DropD (edited 01-18-2000).]
 
Drop dude... check out www.carvin.com. The carvin C22 humbucker is a real warm machine. And the prices they toss out are very comfortable. I put one of them in my 1957 Supro (I was sick of the 1957 frayed cord wrapped wires zapping my ass) and don't regret a note played.
 
I agree with Even, go with a Carvin pickup. I would suggest getting their M22SD. I put one in a Charvel, and it smokes something serious. I put that guitar mainly for heavy styles of music.

[This message has been edited by Fishmed (edited 01-20-2000).]
 
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